The players they are battling for
QB BRYCE YOUNG, ALABAMA (JUNIOR)
Even without the two top-50 picks he had at receiver a season ago, Young is still the highest-graded quarterback in the country this season (92.2).
He’s come up big in crunch time on multiple occasions and shown the “it” factor it takes to succeed in the NFL. The scary thing is that his stats should look even better, but he’s suffered a 10.1% drop rate from his receivers this year. His size could scare teams off in a talented quarterback class, but it’s about the only knock on his game.
2. EDGE WILL ANDERSON, ALABAMA (JUNIOR)
You won’t find many 243-pound edge rushers who come with no concerns about their size. And that’s just how powerful and explosive Anderson is.
After leading the country in pressures as a true sophomore, Anderson has 28 so far this season as the focal point of the Bama defense.
3. QB WILL LEVIS, KENTUCKY (RS SENIOR)
Levis has tools for days. Quick release, howitzer arm, legit rushing ability — Levis has it all. And unlike most quarterbacks billed for their tools at the collegiate level, Levis isn’t far off from being able to operate an NFL offense because he’s been doing it the last two years under current (Liam Coen) and former (Rich Scangarello) NFL offensive coordinators.
4. QB C.J. STROUD, OHIO STATE (JUNIOR)
Stroud will get the “Ohio State quarterback” knock, given the success of his predecessors, but he operates the position differently than Dwayne Haskins and Justin Fields did. He’s a pure pocket passer who’s been tremendous at avoiding sacks over his career, with only an 11.3% pressure-to-sack conversion rate.
5. DI JALEN CARTER, GEORGIA (JUNIOR)
Carter has been hampered by an injury in the early going and has been limited to only 65 snaps. However, his work as a sophomore in 2021 is enough to solidify his top-five draft stock, as he led the Bulldogs with a 90.0 pass-rushing grade.
6. DI BRYAN BRESEE, CLEMSON (JUNIOR)
Bresee is not your run-of-the-mill defensive tackle. At 6-foot-5, 300 pounds, he’s not holding an ounce of bad weight and could pass for a defensive end from a build perspective. He’s one of the best pure penetrators in the class and earned a 77.2 pass-rushing grade this season.
7. T PETER SKORONSKI, NORTHWESTERN (JUNIOR)
Skoronski is in the middle of the single most dominant pass-blocking season we’ve seen in our nine years of college grading. On 288 pass-blocking snaps, he has allowed only two pressures. That’s it.
His 93.0 pass-blocking grade is far and away tops in the country.
8. EDGE MYLES MURPHY, CLEMSON (JUNIOR)
Murphy is still a bit of a bull in a china shop, but at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds, he’s one strong bull. You see it most in the run game, where Murphy has earned a 92.1 grade for his career.
9. WR QUENTIN JOHNSTON, TCU (JUNIOR)
In nine years of college grading, I can say with certainty we have not seen a wide receiver quite like Johnston. At a rangy 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, he is a terror with the ball in his hands. His broken-tackle rate over his career is unlike anything we’ve graded, with 40 forced missed tackles on 89 career receptions.
That’s what you’d expect from a receiver with a running back-esque build like Deebo Samuel, not a pterodactyl like Johnston.
10. EDGE NOLAN SMITH, GEORGIA (SENIOR)
Smith is next in the line of athletic marvels the Bulldogs have produced in recent years. The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder can fly sideline to sideline. You also see him play with physicality at that size, with run-defense grades of 90.6 and 81.4 the past two seasons. He needs more ways to win as a pass-rusher, but you bet on the athlete.
11. EDGE TYREE WILSON, TEXAS TECH (RS SENIOR)
Wilson bet on himself by returning for a fifth year, and it looks like it’s going to pay off for him. He came back a different player and already has an FBS-high 31 pressures on the season after recording 37 a year ago. He’s a unique projection at 6-foot-6, 275 pounds with a 7-foot-plus wingspan.
12. CB CAM SMITH, SOUTH CAROLINA (RS JUNIOR)
After producing three picks and nine pass breakups last season, Smith is simply being avoided by quarterbacks this season. He’s allowed only six catches on 13 targets for 38 yards in five games — less than eight yards a game.
13. TE MICHAEL MAYER, NOTRE DAME (JUNIOR)
Mayer looks like one of the safest picks in the draft. Not only is he the focal point of Notre Dame’s offense — he has 38 catches for 411 yards and five scores on the year — but he also works his backside off in the run game. At 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, he’s built for the NFL.
14. WR JORDAN ADDISON, USC (JUNIOR)
Addison is the next slim all-around separator who should be plug-and-play in the NFL. At 6-foot, 175 pounds, he’s not going to be your contested-catch guy, but with how often he’s open, he doesn’t have to. For his career, Addison has hauled in 70.3% of his targets with a healthy 11.2-yard average depth of target.
15. CB KELEE RINGO, GEORGIA (RS SOPHOMORE)
Ringo had a bit of a slow start to the season but has rebounded nicely, allowing only four catches on 13 targets for 86 yards over his last four games. He looks like a walked-out linebacker at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, and he plays with that kind of physicality on the outside.
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